As per title. Had IBS for years and can just about keep on top of it. The past few days I’ve had really bad fatigue and it seems to coincide with GERD? It’s not just feeling tired, it’s like I’ve been drugged. Anyone have this with their IBS? Or could it be a result of COVID? Had a bout of that last week but seemed to recover from the main flu symptoms fairly quickly.
Thanks in advance folks.
I think some people underestimate Covid and think once they test negative, it's gone.
I had the first wave of Covid in early 2020. I know that was a completely different strain, and possibly might have been more brutal (though I don't know. Covid seems to floor everyone even now.) But one thing I was made very aware of was the "convalescent period".
I had a dramatic illness which burned for 4-5 days and then disappeared almost overnight! I suddenly felt better. My cough went, my fever went, and even for 4 days through the worst I had a decent appetite. My IBS was SO much better during it too (weird)
But I was horrified to see myself in the mirror and notice how much weight I'd lost. My legs were weak, and could hardly complete half a lap of a 1 acre field, even when walking quite slowly.
It took about 5-6 weeks to regain my strength and muscle tone. My arm muscles had wasted, even though I had a heavy river rock which I lifted ten times with each arm twice a day. I always had strong arms. I was falling asleep any time I sat down or lay down just to relax.
Even though I did feel so much better and well in other ways and was eating quite well.
I'd never known any "bug" like it, and realised it needed a few weeks of convalescence (a term we never think of much in modern times.)
I suggest that your fatigue may be due to your Covid infection which was only a few days ago! Make rest a priority, and as healthy nutrition as you can manage. Get as much sleep as possible, no matter when. Just do it.
Thanks very much for the reply. Really appreciate it. I spoke to a gp the other day about this and he did suggest it was likely to be covid and I was lucky to escape the main flu symptoms so quickly and that could be the reason I’m feeling so bad.
I’ve had covid 4 times now and this is the first bout where I’ve felt so exhausted. Previous times it’s been more straightforward with heavy flu for 3 days which waned naturally ie 5-7 days illness. Then I was back to normal. This time round it’s floored me.
Thanks once again.
Maybe that's the particular mutation or strain. Maybe this one hits hard. I heard of someone I know who was also floored by this new one a few weeks ago.
Fatigue is definitely a side effect of COVID-19. The best thing you can do is take it easy for a while and not push yourself, to help your body recover.
Hi. I was recently diagnosed with IBS and one of the intermittent symptoms seems to be fatigue. I have two young children so I'd attributed it to that (lack of sleep) but I don't believe it is entirely related to that.I'm talking about being unable to keep my eyes open, feeling like I need dragging around to move, and so on! I'm reasonably young and have always been active so it's problematic.
It could of course also be stress, or IBS, or both.....all part of the fun!
Have your thyroid checked. Being that tired is a symptom of low thyroid hormone. Or hypothyroidism
Well I can tell you I have pretty bad IBS with heartburn / GERD and I am always tired, and at times severely tired. I also have had this all for years and I think my body is just worn out from the constant beating it gets from the symptoms. BUt I can confirm it happens without COVID also, at least to me
It can make us feel this way it impacts us greatly if the flare up is bad flu like symptoms even flu bug symptoms affected me like you I have had it for years Big hugs I home you feel better soon.
Everyone that I know always have massive fatigue when they have an episode of IBS, this can last for days, it's like someone has sucked all the energy from your body
Well it certainly comes with mine, but probably because my sleep is totally trashed. I wake after 2-3 hours, and only if I'm lucky get off again for a couple of hours. I'm absolutely shattered, weak struggling to do my normal walks. I lost over 7kg in last two months, I'm so unfit.
Is the heat playing a role at all? It's easy to underestimate what that can do to your body.
Yes I’ve heard a few complaints about Covid fatigue afterwards.
I just can speak for myself and it seems that my chronic fatigue is related to a dysfunctional bowel. In first instance, years ago, I thought it was related to my depressive disorder but after having tried different medications, prescribed by a psychiatrist, I found out the hard way that the severe fatigue wasn't related to my MDD. I think I have had a dysfunctional bowel since my childhood but the symptoms got pretty worse some ten years ago. Because of my MDD/GAD (result of a dysfuntional gut / disrupted gut microbiome in my opinion) and medication switch, I only was able to start seeing a gastroenterologist in 2019 because of the ongoing problems in my abdomen, with my intestines.
I've not had COVID so my fatigue and brain fog must be the result of my IBS. I still don't know what kind I've got since tests are expensive, and seem to be inconclusive. Different resources link fatigue, low mood such as depression, and brain fog with IBS and SIBO.
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